Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [garbage-disposal]

A garbage disposal is a motorized pulverizer, usually for kitchen sink drains. A wall switch is typically flipped to turn the motor on when large amounts of food are placed in the drain. Use with [electrical] to discuss wiring one up (these appliances are sometimes directly wired), and/or [drain] and [plumbing] to discuss hooking the drain lines to it.

195 questions
30
votes
5 answers

Why does my dishwasher back up into the sink, but running the disposal allows it to drain?

When my dishwasher runs the kitchen sink backs up. I have a two tub sink and only the side nearest the dishwasher with the garbage disposer backs up. Running the disposal for a few seconds causes the sink to drain. I'm not sure what to look at to…
Freiheit
  • 4,144
  • 12
  • 44
  • 63
22
votes
11 answers

How can I fix a garbage disposal with crushed glass in it?

I have a garbage disposal that had a shot glass fall in. It got ground up. The disposal got jammed; I unjammed it and now it makes a glass grinding noise because of the shards inside. How do I clear the glass? What do I need to do to fix this?
kacalapy
  • 825
  • 5
  • 12
  • 17
11
votes
4 answers

How can I remove a broken knife blade stuck in my sink disposal?

My garbage disposal currently has a thin piece (head of a butter knife) of metal lodged between the teeth and the wall. I’ve tried using a flat head screw driver, butter knives , etc., but have had no luck on being able to get this un-wedged. The…
Michael D.
  • 111
  • 3
11
votes
6 answers

Garbage Disposal - Water Shoots Up Non-Disposal Side

Understand this is asked often. Each case is different though and have not found someone with my plumbing configuration (see pictures). So when we turn on garbage disposal we get water shooting up non-disposal side just about every time. I am…
M Schenkel
  • 221
  • 2
  • 6
8
votes
3 answers

Does a garbage disposal and/or dishwasher need to be on a GFCI?

Part of me always cringes when I turn on the garbage disposal with a wet hand, which got me thinking... Does this thing need to be on a GFCI? And on that same thought, does the dishwasher need to be on a GFCI? Both currently are not and wondering…
diceless
  • 4,366
  • 1
  • 16
  • 18
8
votes
2 answers

Garbage Disposal Shoots Contents Upward

Can't find anything that matches this particular issue on Google or here. Our sink has a garbage disposal that is about 5 years old. For about the last six months or so, the unit tends to propel its contents (water and waste) upward. This…
Phil Sandler
  • 183
  • 5
8
votes
2 answers

How to unjam garbage disposal

Garbage disposal stopped today after I tossed some coffee grounds into it. It makes a nice hum when you turn the power on of the motor trying to run, but nothing spins. I've tried the reset button at the bottom to no luck. I've fished around in…
Russell Steen
  • 483
  • 1
  • 5
  • 12
7
votes
3 answers

How can I improve the wiring under the sink for a garbage disposal?

My vegetable sprayer line broke yesterday, which led me underneath my sink. It wasn't until I was kneeling in a large puddle of water with the line draining on me and the floor that I realized how bad the wiring was for my garbage disposal: This…
user7116
  • 488
  • 2
  • 7
  • 19
7
votes
3 answers

Help with Garbage Disposal install and high drain pipe

The drain pipe for my sink sits pretty high, and then the sink-bowels holes are pretty close to each other. Below is the best my friend and I could do to make this work, and I just realized we need to baffle T to keep the pressure of the disposal…
user18249
  • 71
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
7
votes
2 answers

Dishwasher and disposal wiring on seperate circuits to one yoke and common neutral

Greetings from unincorporated Texas. Home was built in 2000. We’ve been in it for five years. This little adventure started with a push on RO supply line coming loose one night and soaking everything under the sink (and parts beyond). I’ve got three…
Jim C
  • 71
  • 4
7
votes
4 answers

Dishwasher plug blocking disposal outlet

I'm a beginner, so keep that in mind... My house has the dishwasher and disposal plugged in under the sink, where the bottom outlet is hooked to the disposal switch. I've heard it isn't generally ideal to have both on the same outlet, but that's how…
Joe Enos
  • 173
  • 1
  • 5
7
votes
1 answer

Why does dirty water come into my second sink when the garbage disposal is on?

For a while I have been having problems with using the garbage disposal. The large sink empties very slowly and sometimes I put the disposal on to get it going. The only problem is that disgusting dirty water comes up the drain in the small sink. …
Margaret
  • 71
  • 1
  • 2
6
votes
3 answers

What is the typical dishwasher/disposer electrical connection?

I need to provide power to a instant hot water dispenser that I recently installed myself in our circa 1950 home. I'm about to have my dishwasher replaced and am wondering what the typical electrical connection is provided behind dishwashers so I…
glenviewjeff
  • 1,418
  • 11
  • 29
  • 52
6
votes
3 answers

How can I unjam a garbage disposal that the allen wrench doesn't fix?

I have a jammed garbage disposal that makes the humming noise and trips the breaker if I leave it on too long. However, the manual unsticking method doesn't seem to help. I've done some research and haven't found much beyond "use the allen wrench…
erik
  • 429
  • 2
  • 5
  • 11
6
votes
3 answers

How can I remove this piece of metal from my garbage disposal?

Our garbage disposal was turned on with something that shouldn't be in it in there. It all got destroyed and ground up except for this metal piece, which got wedged under the "teeth" of the disposal. I've removed the disposal from the sink and…
jamuraa
  • 161
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
1
2 3
…
12 13